Deep, bold shadow lines that create a unique look.

Silva Timber's Western Red Cedar is renowned for its consistent high quality. As one of the UK’s leading importers of timber with over 10 years experience of supplying Cedar products to the UK market, you can rely on receiving a quality product on time, on grade, every time. Along with our high quality standards, you can be assured that the cedar you receive is coming from a well managed sustainable source.

Silva’s grade of No. 2 Clear is sourced from one of the world’s largest and most respected primary producers of Western Red Cedar. By buying direct from a primary sawmill we are able to guarantee quality and consistency. Only premium fine grained, Coastal grown Western Red Cedar is used to produce Silva’s Select No. 2 Clear. It is pre-graded in the sawmill, sized and graded in the planing mill and graded once again after the kiln drying process to ensure accurate sizing and grading.

Ordering Western Red Cedar can often prove challenging; different suppliers have differing quality standards. Here are five reasons to specify Silva Select No. 2 Clear Western Red Cedar:

1. Silva source from a primary sawmill to ensure quality and consistency.

Why? A secondary sawmill buys logs on the open market from various sources whereas our supplier holds timber harvesting rights in certain areas of British Columbia which ensures a consistent and ongoing supply of logs. Often a secondary sawmill has to make the logs they buy meet the grade whereas our supplier will only use logs that meet or exceed the respective grade. If the log is not suitable for the grade they are cutting for they will use it to produce a lower grade item elsewhere.

2. Silva Timber only buys coastal grown Western Red Cedar.

Why? When you think of Western Red Cedar you think of rich coloured, tight grained timber with a lovely scent and luxurious appearance. The coastal region of British Columbia offers a product richer in colour and tighter grained than that produced from interior Western Red Cedar, providing unrivalled beauty and maximum stability.

The Coastal region provides us with the Western Red Cedar we think of when we think Western Red Cedar.

3. Silva’s No. 2 Clear Western Red Cedar is kiln dried at source.

Why? Silva’s No. 2 Clear is kiln dried at source in state of the art kilns by experts in the drying of this unique species. Modern dry kilns allow tight control of air flow, temperature and humidity so that all the timber dries uniformly and to the precise moisture content required. Kiln-dried Western Red Cedar can be machined to a superior finish and therefore problems such as raised grain are virtually eliminated.

Kiln dried timber can be installed with minimal acclimatisation on site and is also suitable for finishing immediately with a paint or stain which means that the wood can be protected without delay. Find out more about the advantages of buying kiln dried Western Red Cedar.

4. Silva’s No. 2 Clear exceeds grading rules

Why? We could offer a cheaper product but we prefer to keep our quality level high which in turn keeps our customers happy . Our product is 100% No. 2 clear and is labelled as such on the end of each board. We will only mix grades if specifically requested to do by a customer. Clear Western Red Cedar is often sold as an 80% / 20% mix of No. 2 Clear and No. 4 Clear respectively. We can supply this or any other mix of these grades in sawn boards, standard profiles or custom profiles.

5. Silva’s No. 2 Clear is PEFC certified

Silva’s Select No. 2 Clear Western Red Cedar is PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) chain of custody certified. This means that all entities in the supply chain from the harvester to Silva Timber must possess a PEFC chain of custody certificate. This means that a specific product can be followed from its certified forest source through processing and marketing channels to the end user. PEFC is the world’s largest forest certification umbrella organisation supporting sustainable forest management globally through assessment and endorsement of national forest certification schemes.

There is a risk involved when leaving wood exposed to the elements. During the weathering process wood can appear unsightly as the material can blacken due to moisture getting into the fibres and pulling out tannins and extractives. Finish protects the wood from moisture absorption and UV degradation.

What to expect from timber products

When working with timber it should be expected that although ‘on-grade’, occasional boards may have minor imperfections that will require ‘working’ if you wish to eliminate. Examples include raised grain, small splits, minor handling marks, sticker marks etc – all of which can easily be remedied by trimming, gluing or sanding. In most cases imperfections can be removed with very little effort, and the small amount of off cuts generated as a result will be absorbed in the normal cutting and selection allowance.

Grading

Western Red Cedar No. 2 Clear and Better

This particular product is produced from a sawn Western Red Cedar clear grade known as ‘No. 2 Clear and Better’. It is one of two grades - the other being ‘No. 4 Clear’- of sawn clear Western Red Cedar which are classified in accordance with the R-List Export Grading Rule Book published by the Pacific Lumber Export Bureau.

Silva Select No. 2 Clear & Better far exceeds the grading rules set out in the Export R-List Grading & Dressing Rules book. Usually with this grade you should expect some trimming and wastage; however with this product you will find very little. We have repeatedly been told by industrial users that this product is the best they have seen on the UK market.

Environment

This product carries Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)

The PEFC Council is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1999 which promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third party certification. The PEFC provides an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that they are promoting the sustainable management of forests.

PEFC works throughout the entire forest supply chain to promote good practice in the forest and to ensure that timber and non-timber forest products are produced with respect for the highest ecological, social and ethical standards. Thanks to its eco-label, customers and consumers are able to identify products from sustainably managed forests.

Western Red Cedar is the ultimate green building material. It is legally, responsibly and sustainably harvested in the publicly managed forests of British Columbia, Canada. Less than 1% of standing timber is harvested each year.

For each tree harvested, three are replanted to ensure the forests will exist in perpetuity. Western Red Cedar has a low impact on the environment throughout its life cycle. It requires significantly less energy to produce than man-made alternatives and is bio-degradable.

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